I’d like to consider this new series of the boys as a sort of status report. Some quick portraits that make me pause to see (and remember) just where each of them are in their lives. All three are at such different stages: one entering tween-dom, one right smack in the middle of childhood, and one with two feet now firmly out of babyhood.

2 years, 10 months.

Trains. Trains. Trains. Never enough trains. Never enough track building, never enough asking for help building his tracks (which we all lovingly oblige). Never enough of Brian Flocka’s Locomotive or Loren Long’s Little Engine That Could. Never enough of yelling “ALL ABOARD!” into his stethoscope for all to know that he’s home from school and that everyone needs to get on Jude’s Train. It’s a fun ride. Never enough wanting his brothers to slow down so he can catch up. Never enough of making sure we know that he can do everything by himself. As he told us the other day: “Mama’s the boss. Daddy’s the boss. Mateo’s the boss. Nico’s the boss. And Juuuuddde’s the boss!” How could we forget, my love?